Roots, Flowers and Pollen
PREFACE In attempting to write a brief history of manual therapy I have encountered the twin challenges of quantity and diversity of information. While the history of manual therapies could rightfully fill an encyclopedia, certain crucial topics are very underrepresented in the literature. The available information also comes from a wide range of cultures, and […]
Psyche, Soma, and Rolfing in the Context of the Tao
Carl Jung once said that all life processes are purposeful. Nobel Prize winner Szent-Gyorgi said that there is a “drive in living matter to perfect itself.” Chinese philosophy/ physiology, summed of in the symbol called Tai Chi by the Chinese and commonly known elsewhere as the yin/yang symbol, describes a natural process (a drive) by […]
Internal Correlates of Relapse Prevention
That there be no repeating of sex offenses is, of course, the foremost aim and goal of the treatment of sex offenders. It comes ahead of goals such as the abatement of other pathologies, increasing self-esteem, or reunifying families. Toward this goal, there has been a great deal of study of the causes of sex […]
Strap-Assisted Contact for Self Upkeep and Maintenance
The intent of this short article is to shop how a circular, variable-length straf may be used to support practitioners it working on themselves. Everyone who per forms some routine form of manual worl experiences work-hardening in the myofascial tissues of their hands, arms anc shoulder girdle and practitioners are generally aware that they ‘never’ […]
The Functional Rationale of the Recipe
This paper is an attempt to synthesize the author’s years of study and teaching of Rolfing° and Rolf Movement with the concepts she has learned from Hubert Godard – Rolfer, movement educator and dancer, brilliantly articulate on many occasions in Brazil, America and Europe. The author wants to express to him her deepest gratitude for […]
Short Legs and The Neurology of Posture
Erik Dalton, Ph.D., in Structural Integration, June 2005, has done an exemplary job of tracking down the references on the short-leg controversy and explaining skeletal distortions in terms of the central nervous system. While I concur with much of what he has to say, I want to add to the discussion with some alternate points […]
Remembering Ida Rolf with the Tradition of Children’s Clinics
On her 80th birthday, Ida Rolf offered a children s clinic to demonstrate the positive impact of Rolfing on children. This was the beginning of a tradition that has been carried on by numerous Rolfers and at times by the Rolf Institute, with many of the clinics held as free or low-cost events around May […]
The Oscillatory Properties of the Structural Body
When looking at the grace of a gazelle in flight, the poise of a hovering eagle, the stupendous leap of a cat, or the accomplished performance of an athlete or dancer, an extraordinary efficiency of movement may be witnessed. It may be seen in the poise of many traditional peoples, perhaps carrying heavy loads upon […]
Licensure: An Existential Dilemma
Is State licensure of Rolfing structural integration practitioners good for us? This is more than a practical question. It might be the turning point at an existential brink. To me, the answer is obvious. Not now. Not ever. No way. Granted, I assert an extreme position-perhaps because I’m a dyed-inthe-wool libertarian for whom some of […]
Memories of an Exceptional Pioneer
Before I begin this trip down memory lane, it is important to note that Ida Pauline Rolf was born in Bronx, New York on May 19, 1896. She attended public school in New York. She was an exceptional student, being accepted by Barnard College for Women in her late teens. After she graduated Cum Laude […]